by Jolie Mason
"That's too dangerous. We need a way to find him first." She looked his way in expectation. Gray just looked dejected.
"Let's try the other direction. Who is most likely behind the whole plot? Who has the most to gain from killing these people?"
"The government?" He threw that out almost doubtfully, and he was correct. It didn't track in the current political landscape. The populous was extremely anti-conflict. Any politician who would try would be politically crucified.
There were other places in the world that were not, though. She let the thought simmer.
"Kinder tech was developed as a for profit enterprise. Must have stung when the government swooped in and took it. Could there be any kinder tech leftovers among the researchers?"
"It's almost certain," Gray answered. "This was a very select group of scientists. There aren't many in the world with specialties that can be used this way. A lot of them are at the trust."
"Which ones lost a fortune when it was taken over?"
"The original corporate board had a scientist on it. The developer of the initial breakthroughs was Dr. Romanov. He escaped from the Russian Commonwealth right before the wall went up during their turn to extreme isolationism. He lost the most because, not only did he lose money and influence, his research was also classified and quarantined. He wasn't allowed to work in genetics at all."
"What was his first name?" she asked with a breath of excitement. This was it. He was her guy. She could feel it.
"Constantine, I think."
"We're going to find out where, Dr. Romanov is right now, I think."
*
Romanov was at home, it appeared from the police network. She and Gray stepped out of her transport onto a beautifully manicured front lawn in a perfectly adequate, cozy little cottage on the edge of the Borough.
The house oozed dignity and quiet condescension as she made her way up the front walk. It was as if the whole place came from another era and settled here only because it had decided the place needed class.
Her impression of Dr. Romanov over the comm had been about the same. He was an arrogant man, yet a brilliant scientist. She supposed true brilliance always made one arrogant to some degree. Although, the good doctor seemed to have more than a good self image. He had open disdain for those he saw as beneath him, like a mere detective from the Metropolitan Police Department.
A greet bot opened the door. "Dr. Romanov will see you in the study," it said in a tinny voice. The bot wasn't even remotely new. It could be considered antique even.
She noted that it was amazingly maintained, looked like it had just come out of the shop yesterday. Did the doctor have expertise in more than just high level cloning and genetics technology?
The bot led them to about the coziest room she'd ever been in. Two chairs rested before a massive fireplace simulation, and the books and shelves towered over everything in the room. An old man sat in one of the chairs.
He rose at their entrance. "Detective," he said with his accent heavy. "I do not know if I can help you at all. It has been many years."
She nodded at him. "Any information you can give us would be helpful, Doctor. As you know, your research is all quarantined, and there is reluctance on the part of the government to allow us to investigate certain aspects of it."
The pinch of a frown showed her, for a moment, the strength of his disapproval about government interference with his research shown through. Yeah, the doctor wasn't happy.
"Such a colossal waste of my research. You were not clear on the comm, Detective. How can I help you?"
"Well, sir," Thursday gestured to Kerry. " This is Dr. Kerry from the National Trust. It would appear that your research has continued in small, highly quarantined research projects. There is a man, a kinder, who is killing people. We believe because of the hardware you designed during your Kinder Tech work. We need a way to track him down or control him."
"Did the Trust not put tracking technology on this man?" He said it in an appalled tone, but it rang false to Thursday.
"It was easily disabled, it would appear. Was there anything in your research that could allow us to find this man somehow before he kills again?"
The old man leaned more heavily on his cane as he walked to the desk placed in the room to sit with a huff of effort. Thursday thought some of his aging might be truth, but there was an exaggerated quality to it in this room at this moment, like he wanted to be thought geriatric and out of his prime.
"I wish we could have discussed all this on the comm, Detective. It would have saved you a drive. There was nothing special or different about the kinder that could be tracked remotely. They are just people, as you and I are people."
Thursday canted her head to look at the old man. "But, not as you and I are people, correct, Doctor? They are engineered to specific ability. Otherwise, what would be the point?"
"That is true, Detective Thursday, however, they aren't supermen. Kinder might be genetically superior, but they were not immortal or capable in any way beyond what is already within the human capacity."
Dr. Kerry looked away from the bookshelf he'd been studying astutely to interject, "Things have possibly changed since the time of your participation, Dr. Romanov."
Romanov's attention turned full force on the other doctor in the room. "Dr. Kerry, is it?" The smile the old man wore was nothing short of predatory. "I take it you have some involvement in one of these research projects."
"The kinder in question was my subject."
"Oh, dear," the old man said with barely disguised glee. "That must have invited a bit of scrutiny. When was your kinder completed? Before or after the failsafe program?"
"Failsafe?" Gray queried. "The chip's been disabled."
Romanov clucked his tongue and tapped his chair arm. "We always knew that to be insufficient. We installed a second failsafe. If this kinder originated after its inception, then he also should have it. It is a signal code embedded inside the chip that cannot be disabled. It operates like a password."
"It was meant to be a stop gap should we lose control of the military units."
Thursday made a disgusted noise. "I don't know what's worse; the fact that the government was making people for soldiers or the fact that they were okay with just shutting them off when they got inconvenient."
"It's not a death sentence, my dear. It's merely a hypnotic suggestion to return to the place of your creation and become docile, played in an audio file. Once the subject hears it, he immediately drops all current mission protocols and returns to the predetermined base. In your case, Dr. Kerry, I would think to you."
"I was never made aware of any such protocol," Kerry said, and he was angry. "How many lives would have been saved had I known?"
Thursday interrupted, "Dr. Romanov, do you by any chance have a copy of the audio file?"
"Oh, no," he answered. "The government was quite thorough in the business of stripping all my research and my life's work from me. I am forbidden even to work in my chosen field, to dabble in my interests. I have thankfully found some outlet in my work with robotics, but I took nothing with me from that life, Detective. Nothing but bitter disappointments."
"That is entirely understandable, Dr. Romanov. I am sorry to have take up so much of your time on such a painful subject."
Hayden really did feel bad for the man. He was ringing every alarm bell she had as her suspect, but she wasn't without pity for his situation. He had clearly been a passionate researcher and a brilliant man who'd dedicated his life to one thing only to have it snatched away for political expediency.
It had to be frustrating to an extreme.
"I do believe you mean that, Detective."
She nodded. "I had best get back to work, Doctor. Thank you for your help."
"Of course, and I wish you good luck in your hunt."
It was an odd term to hear from the researcher, hunt.
"Again," she rose and began the process of walking to the door. "Thank you for all your he
lp."
In the vehicle, Gray seemed to be keeping a tight hold on his own issues. She hated to prick at the wound, but they had to discuss it. She didn't start the transport immediately.
"So, were you deliberately excluded? And, do you think Dr. Macy was part of it?"
"It was his project. How could he not have been in on it?"
The words ground from Gray's lips.
Thursday accessed the comm to ring the precinct. "Detective Ace, please."
"Homicide. Ace."
The surly image of her best friend appeared in the dash. "Ace, it's me. I'm with Dr. Gray Kerry," she informed him quickly. "We need to go through the archives for an audio file associated with the Kinder military program."
Ace just sat looking at her in his most disapproving way.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I was doing," she said placating what was obviously paternal concern on his part.
"Fine," he growled, pointing at her. "Don't do it again."
She outlined what they knew so far.
"All right, so what do we know about this audio file?" Ace asked.
"Just that it exists and what it does. But, I have a suspicion that it's in Dr. Macy's files or notes. I think he knew this."
Ace nodded. "I'll start looking."
Hayden read the navsys coordinates of the transport as she started it. "We're about half an hour away, and Dr. Kerry is going to need protection."
"I'll set up the safe house for tonight. How many do you want brought in on this?"
She tapped on the steering wheel that she'd seldom needed to use. It was retracted at the moment. "How many kinder are there out there? If we don't know who the threat is, we don't know who could be working for them,"
Ace grimaced at her. "That's sounds pretty paranoid, Hayden."
"I know, Ace, but my gut is screaming on this one. It's bigger than I can see right now."
"All right," he said grimly. "Just us. For now."
Saying their goodbyes, Hayden noticed the navsys screen flash as the comm ended. She let the car steer it's way into city traffic and watched the people go by.
"How are you doing?" she asked Gray. He'd been coldly silent.
"I'm fine," he said. He was lying, but she nodded as though she accepted it.
"You know, it's okay if you aren't fine. I'm not fine. I am pissed." He made a frustrated noise from his side of the car.
It was her silly habit to know where she was along her route and how long she had to her destination. There just seemed something equally silly about being so dependent on tech you didn't know where you were. It made her feel helpless and a little stupid.
"Wait," she said looking around at the city streets around them. "This is Hyatt."
"What?" Gray finally said.
"This is Hyatt. We're down by the river dock."
He looked around. "Yes, and?"
"That's not where we're going, and it's not what the navsys says."
Something was wrong.
She pointed at the grid on the screen. "Look, this shows the business loop, but the street we're actually on ends in a boat ramp and rec area."
Gray sat straighter in the seat. "Can we reset it?"
She pushed a red button below the console. Nothing happened. She tapped the option on screen that said pull over which should initiate a search for the nearest parking. Nothing happened. She tried to pull out the retracted steering column. It wouldn't budge.
One or two malfunctions was a possibility on any transport vehicle, but this many at one time was sabotage. Her mind had already tracked the inevitable goal of her transports' path. "We're going in the river," she told him, stating their predicament with no sugar coating whatsoever. "Can you swim?"
"We're what?"
"Can you swim?"
"Yes. How do you know we're going in the river?"
She said nothing and calmly searched under her seat to pull out the hammer she carried there in case of moments just like this. "Reach in the storage compartment in front of you. There is a weapon in there. Give it to me."
He did. Hayden slipped it into her holster after removing her stunner and handing it to Gray. "Know how that works? Whoever hacked us will be watching. Keep hold of that. Don't forget and use it in the water."
He nodded curtly. She caught his strained profile, and thought he was keeping it together pretty well. She handed him the hammer and said, "Break the window. Now. Don't bother trying to open it. Just break it."
He looked at her a moment, then obediently did as she'd commanded while she winced at the expense of losing her transport and the sick sound of breaking glass she couldn't really afford to replace. She took back the hammer and repeated the process on her window.
"When I find this son of a bitch, he is replacing this vehicle."
The car was keeping a steady speed even though the lot and sidewalks were coming up. The Navsys still showed straight roads ahead.
Thursday grabbed Gray's hand as the river rushed toward them. "Brace," she said, and they waited. The car left pavement and hit grass, then walkways, then hedges, and finally a little lift pushed the car gently into the air, then it crashed to the ground with a jarring bounce and slid downhill into the water where they floated a second. "Out!"
She pushed out of her seat and heaved herself out of the window into the rushing water, even though her every instinct was to hide, move away from the water. She pushed out, pretending she was going for a simple swim, and vowing to make some bastard pay for this whole damn day.
The car sank softly into the water as she pushed away from it, and turned to look for Gray. He floundered a bit away from the shore looking a little dazed as he watched the car sink.
Hayden spat out dirty river water and kicked herself toward him with the current. As she got closer, the whirl of the water pushed her into his arms.
"Gray, look at me."
His eyes were a little wide, but he was with her and completely calm. She should have known he'd have nerves of steel. "Let's get to shore."
Gray nodded, then they swam together toward the gathering crowd near the edge of the boat ramp parking. She reached into her sopping jacket to remove her badge, held it up to the crowd and then pushed her distress beacon on the backside of the badge.
Grabbing Gray's hand, she studied the gathering pedestrians, took in the open layout of the land around them. "We need cover."
She started pulling him in the opposite direction of the park, and toward the buildings across the busy highway. "Help is that way, isn't it?" Gray asked her.
"Not today. Ace is gonna zero right in on my personal beacon, not just my vehicle like rescue services. He'll come to where I am. We have to get off this street."
She dragged him behind a parked delivery bot-truck, then reached up behind her ear to try her comm one more time. It crackled, snapped and then rang a second. "Holy hell, that hurts. How is your comm?"
He hunched beside her and said quietly, "Don't have one. Too hackable."
She gave a derisive snort, "You can say that again. Mine needs a minute." She peeked her head out to get her bearings. "This is Halifax."
Sirens grew closer and closer to the river docks. The guys after them were pretty tech savvy. Hayden figured they had some way to track her or Gray or both. She thought a crowd might be a deterrent.
"If I'm right, there's an art shop around the corner. Maybe, we hide in plain sight?"
Gray shrugged. "You want something studied, I'm your man. This is way outside my skills."
She grinned at him. He grinned back.
"Fair enough," she said breathlessly. "We cross before the light and keep the line of vehicles between us and a potential shooter, all right?"
"Sounds like fun," Gray laughed.
"It's gonna be great," she chuckled.
They ran across the street as casually as possible in soaking wet clothes in the middle of December. The timing may have saved them both deadly injuries. There were no boaters right now, so the lot had be
en empty, and the park only full of dog walkers and nannies taking advantage of the unexpected sunshine that had melted away the holiday snow.
She shivered despite that weak sun. The river had made mess of her clothes, and she felt about as attractive as a bedraggled stray. Gray on the other hand looked cold, but merely wet.
How do men do that? She wondered.
An impeccably dressed woman saw them enter the trendy art store and came directly to the door, probably to bar their way. Thursday flashed the badge unapologetically. "I need a vidcom."
"Um. Yes, Detective." She led her straight to an office, presumably to get them off the sales floor in their sorry state. Wouldn't do to upset the upper classes.
She plugged in and was relieved to see Ace manually driving a police transport and already on the move. "Ace, gonna need a ride."
Her teeth chattered. She waved the sales woman toward her. "Where are we?"
"Monet's Art Studio," the woman answered.
Hayden looked around at the art in confusion. "You sure?" she asked looking doubtfully at the displayed art in the room. Seemed pretty pretentious to her because this stuff was pretty far from master quality. It was more like the stuff you saw in office buildings the world over.
"Yes, I'm sure," the woman said testily and returned to her sales floor.
Hayden asked Ace, "You got that?"
"I'm about ten blocks away."
"All right. Bring coffee."
He rolled his eyes at her.
Left alone to wait for her partner, she stood with her arms wrapped around herself, shaking from the cold.
"Come here, Hayden," he said invitingly with his big arms wide open. "We're both freezing."
She let him wrap her up in a cuddle for warmth, and it did indeed help. "Thank you," she said into his chest.
"You're kind of a force of nature, aren't you?"
"I feel like more of a disaster victim. What the hell kind of day was this anyway?"
He chuckled again. "A pretty cold one."
As water dripped from their clothes, she finally offered him the condolences she'd wanted to give him all day. "I'm sorry about your friend."
He squeezed her shoulders and she heard him say regretfully, "Me, too. All of it felt so normal, so routine, up until a few weeks ago. He was a nice guy, Hayden. The kind of guy who might not survive the fact that he's been used to horribly kill multiple people. Even if we could get him back, I don't think he'd come back from that."
